DRW Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
:Discuss this game in our forums Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a re-interpretation of the Fortune City outbreak in Dead Rising 2 in which Frank West is the lead character. The story is non-canon to the overall storyline in the series, a "what-if" alternate reality had Frank been in Fortune City to cover the outbreak. Frank even states in the trailer: "What would I have done?"Spencer, On The Record With Dead Rising 2: Off The Record’s Producer, Siliconera, (July 17, 2011). "It’s definitely a what-if, a parallel universe. Canon would be more of the Dead Rising 2 story with Chuck Greene and how that launched into the Case West story as well." The game will be released for the Xbox 360, Play Station 3, and PC as a full retail disc for $39.99. In a quickly retracted June 30 posting, Capcom originally stated Off the Record will be released in North America on the 11th October 2011, and in Europe on the 14th.Captivate 2011: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Capcom, (April 12, 2011). Caoili, Eric. Capcom Announces Dragon's Dogma, Dead Rising 2 Spin-Off, Gamasutra, (April 12, 2011). The game "will ship as a physical product, not downloadable content". Chester, Nick. Preview: Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Destructoid, (April 12, 2011).Andy, E3 2011: Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Hands-On Impressions, vgrevolution, (June 08, 2011)Jonah Falcon, IGN - Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Dated, IGN.Dead Rising 2: Off the Record briefly dated October 14, Strategy Informer. (July 1, 2011). On July 20, 2011 these dates were officially confirmed.Brendan Sinclair, Dead Rising 2 goes Off the Record Oct. 11, GameSpot, (July 20, 2011). Introduction The entire game is a "What If?" scenario where Frank West covered the Fortune City outbreak, instead of Chuck Greene. After surviving the Dead Rising zombie outbreak, Frank West quickly became a bit of a celebrity. After authoring a successful book, he is given his own talk show. But like many "flash in the pan" celebrities, he squanders his opportunities and soon finds that his fifteen minutes are up.Chester, Nick. Preview: Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Destructoid, (April 12, 2011). Desperate to get back on top, or at least earn some money, West is offered an opportunity that he hopes will things around. The producer of Terror is Reality, the American Gladiators-style zombie-killing television show, invite him to appear as a special guest. Down on his luck and thinking things couldn't get any worse, he heads to Fortune City to get back in the spotlight. The opening moments of Off the Record parallel that of Dead Rising 2 in one way and one way only -- it starts off with the hero participating in a Terror is Reality event. At the beginning of the event, West, wearing a wrestling outfit, is lifted via platform to the center of a ring surrounded by a chain-link fence. Joining him in the ring is a group of zombies in which he must defeat as many as possible within a certain time limit. There is a grinder on each corner of the ring, and West can jump on top of these to activate them. They chew up zombies factory machines mulching meat. The twins from Dead Rising 2 attack West. "This must be so embarrassing for you," one says. "Doesn't look like those baldness remedies worked too well," says the other. Yin-Poole, Wesley. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Eurogamer (April 12, 2011). Even though he won the event, West feels that he has lost his dignity and decides to take his prize money and get out of Fortune City. As he is leaving, Frank observes from a series of catwalks above a large, warehouse-like room as TK speaks with Brandon Whittaker. TK hands Brandon a suitcase full of cash, for a package that looks like a time bomb and a keycard. Frank takes a picture of this gaining prestige points.Rosenberg, Adam. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record First Look Preview, G4tv, (April 12, 2011). Frank is caught eavesdropping, and Frank must kill three mercenaries with melee attacks. The outbreak occurs shortly after which is similar to Dead Rising 2. Frank must fight his way through the back corridors of the arena, eventually making his way out to the main entrance and, eventually, the strip. As Frank makes his way out, a few references to Dead Rising 2 can be seen. A TIR poster of Frank in his wrestling outfit is left only half-covering a similar poster of Chuck Greene. Frank also comes across a discarded child's backpack and portable video game device in an empty green room. Story Frank, infected by the zombie virus as part of the Dead Rising canon, will need to find and use Zombrex at regular intervals. Frank does not need to return to the safe house, and can give himself Zombrex where ever he finds it.Jason Leigh Dead Rising 2: Off the Record E3 Interview, youtube, (June 7, 2011). Features * Cosplay Warrior Skills Pack pre-order bonus * Off the Record detects a Dead Rising 2 save and unlocks Chuck Greene's Motorcyle Jacket as a bonus.World of Capcom - Panels - Comic-Con 2011, youtube.com (July 23, 2011) * PlayStation 3 and PC owners can play Frank for the first time.Priest, Simon. Capcom: Dead Rising PS3 owners will "really embrace Frank", Strategy Informer, (April 12, 2011). "Jason Leigh: "...you've got a PlayStation 3 and not a 360, you haven't had an opportunity at this point to play as Frank West." * New unique story, "the story’s been changed quite heavily".Ryan King, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Interview, Now Gamer, (June 17, 2011). Interview with Capcom Executive Producer Jason Leigh. ** New missions, including the mission: Quarter Circle to Forward,Dead Rising 2 Off the Record - Electric Crusher HD, youtube, July 20, 2011. and the case: Case 5-1: The Source. * A new area, "Uranus Zone" Amusement Park Destructoid: ...there will be an entirely new area/zone that Capcom will only say is "not a casino and not a mall."Frushtick, Russ. , 'Dead Rising 2: Off The Record' First Look - Go West, Young Man, MTV, (April 12, 2011). * New enemies and psychopaths **Scare Zombies, rare zombies that when a player walks around a corner or pass over a dead body, they leap out and there is an audio sting at that moment.Ryan King, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Interview, Now Gamer, (June 17, 2011). Interview with Capcom Executive Producer Jason Leigh. "One great idea which came from the Capcom Japan guys was the notion of a scare zombies. We’ve got them in the demo. They don’t show up very often because they’re tuned to the point where they’re quite rare so if you come around the corner or when you pass over a dead body, they leap out and there’s an audio sting at that point. If you’re playing the game with quiet, not like at E3, it can be quite frightening. That’s been an idea that’s come from them." * New combo weapons, including Cryo Pod, Electric Crusher, Laser Eyes, Molten Cannon, Pegasus and Saw Launcher * New weapons, including Alien Probe, Escape Pod, Giant Spaceship Toy, Space Bench, Tennis Ball Launcher, Toy Rocket Ship. New food including Cotton Candy, Popcorn and Pretzels. . ]] * New vehicles, including the Clown Car.Jason Leigh Dead Rising 2: Off the Record E3 Interview, youtube, (June 7, 2011). Clown Car name mentioned at 4:53 by Jason Leigh. * Frank starts at level one. * Unannounced new game mode. "Something the fans have been asking for since the first game... is as big, if not bigger, than the story mode."Quote from Jason Leigh, executive producer of Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Off The Record in MTV article. * A more difficult game, with "A tougher Frank West and a Tougher Fortune City", with more aggressive zombies than those featured in the same city in Dead Rising 2.Sadler, Keith Dead Rising 2: Off The Record - On Difficulty and Experience, GamrFeed, (April 14, 2011). "According to Jason Leigh, executive producer of Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Off The Record."Totilo, Stephen. The Proper Difficulty For A Dead Rising Game, Kotaku, (April 14, 2011). Executive producer Jason Leigh explained, "We’ve upped the zombie density this time around. When we first started showing Rising 2 at Captivate a couple of years ago, on one level we had 7,000 zombies on the screen. What we found in Dead Rising 2 that was not actually practical in an environment because it was just too dense. This time around, because we made Frank a tougher character right at the beginning and we gave him more cool weapons that do a lot more damage, we actually managed to up the zombie density and have the world be a little more dangerous for him."Spencer, Since Frank West Is Tougher, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Ups The Zombie Count, Siliconera, (July 10, 2011). * Frank's camera returns, allowing outtake photographs. ** New photo opportunities in a “Buddy Shot”, Frank can grab a zombie from behind and essentially "photo bombs" his own image, snapping a photo of him grinning next to a zombie before he throws him/her aside.Dead Rising 2 revives with Frank West's Off The Record exploit, MetroWNY, (April 13, 2011). "Perhaps the most entertaining addition is the ability for Frank to take a “Buddy Shot” (my words, not Capcom’s) with zombies." * Multiple save slots. * Improved save system * Load times reduced from Dead Rising 2 * co-op multiplayer is included, this time with Frank West and Chuck Greene as the second player. * Auto saving, a checkpoint system which will have the game save progress after major story points. Including checkpoints right after the player enters a new area and right before the player fights a boss. It is still undecided whether the save system can be turned off.Destructoid: Listening to fans and critics was key in helping the team build Off the Record...The save system...has been further improved...A checkpoint system...which will have the game save progress after major story points, after fighting off the game's psychopath sub-bosses and upon loading into a new area...load times...have been reduced...Jeremy Parish, Dead Rising 2 Producer: Off The Record's Checkpoint System Won't Undermine Game's Integrity, 1UP, July 21, 2011. * Digital camera rather than a film camera. * Victims commit suicide with a gun. Returning from previous games * All the original skills from Dead Rising are available in Off the Record, plus new unique skills which Chuck did not have before, such as "Bruiser Frank West style wrestling moves". * Different endings. "It’s still the convention of a sandbox on a clock. All of the Dead Rising games so far have branch points where if you do it a certain way you get a certain ending. There is replayability where is players try things a slightly different way they may find a different ending." * The following Dead Rising 2 characters are confirmed to have returned: Brandon,File:Offtherecord06.jpg, Captivate 2011: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, capcom-unity, (April 12, 2011). Cora,Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Comic-Con 2011 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) , youtube, July 21, 2011. Curtis,Dead Rising 2: Off The Record - Warrior Skills!, Youtube.com. Stacey,Dead Rising 2 Off the Record E3 Trailer, youtube, June 5, 2011. Frank takes a call from Stacey at the end of the video Tyrone King, TK's Bodyguard,[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De4kE3yyGW4 Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - Developer Interview, youtube, (April 12, 2011). Zombie Jock. * The following Dead Rising 2 missions have returned: Wilted Flower. Development Off the Record executive producer, Jason Leigh explains: "Originally, the plan was that we were going to do a 'Director's Cut' of Dead Rising 2. Capcom has a long history of successful 'Director's Cuts," especially with the Resident Evil series, and we wanted to bring that treatment to the Dead Rising franchise." As Destructoid explains, "But when Dead Rising 2 was first announced, something strange happened, says Leigh. Fans of the franchise were excited for its return, and the development team was confident players would click with the game's strong new hero, Chuck Greene. But the feedback was clear. Many felt that something was missing. That "something" was Frank West, as fans asked, "Why did you take our hero away?" Jason Leigh explains further: "What this did for us and for this product was to create an incredibly interesting opportunity. What if, instead of doing a director's cut, what if we re-invisioned the outbreak in Fortune City with Frank West as the hero. What would that do to missions? What would that do to story? What would that do to the gameplay, bringing him back with his camera?" Marketing Dead Rising 2: Off the Record was first announced on on April 12, 2011 at Captive 2011, a Capcom sponsored event.Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Trailer, Details Released, Cinemablend, (April 12, 2011). Some of the game's new components were revealed at the E3 Expo in June 2011, including the Electric Crusher, Cosplay Warrior Skills Pack, and Chuck's jacket. A facebook page (April 22, 2011) and youtube page (July 26, 2011) were created to promote Off the Record.Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Official Dead Rising's Channel, youtube. (July 26, 2011).Dead Rising, Facebook (April 22, 2011). In regards to criticisms that Capcom is cashing in, Leigh stated that "There might be a possibility of about this release...but that's certainly not how we're regarding this game. We're regarding this game as something that is actually very different and very fresh and very new. Yes it is Fortune City, it's the Fortune City outbreak, but in this re-envisioning and bringing Frank back into the game, even that first 15 minutes is quite different than it was." "If fans have any reservations about this, hopefully the stuff we're rolling out in the next several months as we approach the release in the fall, things like E3 which is next, there will be more big announcements and more of those big features being shown off, very quickly people will realize, wow, there's a lot of added value in this game."Priest, Simon. Capcom defends against 'cash-in' cries at DR2: Off the Record, Streategy Informer, (April 13, 2011).Fletcher, J.C. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record puts Frank West in Chuck Greene's shoes, Joystiq, (April 12, 2011). "But mostly, it's an "enhancement" to the amount of money Capcom can get out of Dead Rising 2. Between this and the XBLA games, this is the fourth game to bear the title Dead Rising 2." Trivia * Action movie star Clint Rockfoot is again found on Off the Record combo card posters. * There are no plans for an Off the Record prologue or epilogue.Chester, Nick. No 'Case Zero' plans for Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Destructoid, (April 12, 2011). A demo is a "real question now". * In one of the trailers, Tyrone King and Chuck the Role Model's Brandon Whittaker exchange a briefcase, despite no known relationship or interaction between the two characters in Dead Rising 2. * Destructiod writes: "Off the Record isn't just changed in terms of adding photography to the mix. The entire world has been transformed to reflect our new story. Posters of Chuck Greene promoting his appearance on Terror is Reality are now covered with advertisements of Frank doing the same, for example." * Chuck Greene will play some part in the main game. Although Capcom is not ready to explain how Greene will fit in, there were obvious hints strewn about the demo. When Frank enters the backstage green room, there is Katey Greene's empty backpack and a portable gaming system lying on the floor in a pool of blood. * Greene will also be playable as a second character in Off the Record's co-op mode.Frushtick, Russ. 'Dead Rising 2: Off The Record' First Look - Go West, Young Man, MTV, (April 12, 2011). * It is unknown if Rebecca or Sullivan will be in the game. But Stacey's involvement is confirmed at by the 2011 E3 Trailer below and since one of the missions is named "The Source", it could mean that Rebecca will return as well. * It is also unknown whether any of the survivors (apart from Curtis), victims, or psychopaths (apart from T.K., Brandon, and The Twins) from Dead Rising 2 will be in the game or if they've been replaced with new survivors, victims, and psychopaths. * Frank is older in this game. Too show this, when Frank idles too long he will stretch out his back and grown a little bit. Video Gallery File:DeadRisingOTRPoster no title.jpg|With no title Dead rising 2 offrecord 360boxart.jpg|Europe box art offtherecordlogo.png File:Dead-rising-2-off-the-record-e3-2011-uranus zone.jpg| Frank in front of Uranus Zone with Alien Probe. File:Offtherecord01.jpg|Today only: Frank West 7-9 PM Book Signing and Autograph Session File:Offtherecord02.jpg File:Offtherecord03.jpg File:Offtherecord04.jpg File:Offtherecord05.jpg File:Offtherecord07.jpg File:Offtherecord08.jpg File:Offtherecord09.jpg File:Offtherecord10.jpg File:Dead rising off the record capcom japan (2).jpg File:Dead rising off the record capcom japan (3).jpg File:Dead rising off the record capcom japan.jpg File:Main bg.jpg|Background for www.capcom.co.jp/deadrising/2otr/ File:Dead rising uranus zone controller.png|Controller References Category:Games